


64 GB +

by totalnerdatheart



Series: Trope Bingo 2014 [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Mind Games, dark themes, keeping secrets, nonconsenual medical procedure, trope bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-04
Updated: 2014-02-04
Packaged: 2018-01-11 03:52:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/totalnerdatheart/pseuds/totalnerdatheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It happens a lot over the next few years. Phil would come back from a solo mission, and lock himself in the nearest dark place for hours with a migraine. </p><p>Nick wonders why he never questioned it sooner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	64 GB +

**Author's Note:**

> there is mentions of nonconsenual medical procedure

In hindsight Nick should have expected something the first time Phil came home from a mission complaining about migraines.

 

“It’s weird right? I never got them before,” Phil looks more annoyed than in pain as he sits in the dark quarters with a cup of tea cradled in his hands. “Can I blame it on the weather?”

 

“Welcome to the rest of the world Cheese,” Nick can’t see Phil’s face but he can imagine his friends usual grumpy scowl. “How was the mission anyways?”

 

“Classified.” Nick can’t hear the usual smile in his friend’s voice, he guesses that the migraine is worse than he thought.

 

*

 

It happens a lot over the next few years, Phil will come back from a solo mission and be locked in the nearest dark place for hours with a migraine.

 

Other agents besides Nick had wondered of course over the years, they had both made friends (Phil more so than Nick), but everyone always came back with the same answer.

 

“Classified.”

 

*

 

It isn’t till Nick is Assistant Director till he finally gets his answers.

 

“I had planned on telling you this a while ago, but there had been some… complications.” Nick frowned at that, very rarely did Director Stoner ever admit to having problems, especially top secret problems. “The WSC caught a rumor, but thankfully it’s been taken care of.”

 

Nick has a feeling that whatever was taken care of had to deal with the slaughter that had been the Malaysia Op. He wisely says nothing.

 

They continue on through the secret base, in Kansas of all places, until they reach a comfortable looking room with various medical machines. It looked like a small apartment of all things and Nick gets a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he’s not going to like whatever it is the Director is going to tell him.

 

He’s right when he feels his heart come to a stop when he sees a familiar figure sitting eerily still in the only arm chair in the room.

 

“Cheese-” Nick kneels down before his friend but the man doesn’t do anything. His face is eerily blank and if it wasn’t for his steady breathing Nick could have sworn he was dead. Nick bites off his reaction to yell at the Director, and to demand to know what the hell is going on, but he swallows his anger. “What’s going on sir?”

 

“This Fury, is one of SHIELD’s best kept secrets.” Nick clenches his fist against his thigh in order to stop himself from decking the Director right then and there. He can guess the rest really. Phil may have something to do with the secret, but Nick would bet on his life that he has no idea he’s part of it.

 

He waits for the Director to continue, if there was one thing Nick knew about Rick Stoner it was that the man loved the sound of his own voice. The man sits in the chair in front of Phil and starts listing off a string of number and codes and Nick watches as Phil sits up ramrod straight and looks the Director in the eyes.

 

“What would you like to know Director Rick Stoner?” Phil’s voice was void of any emotion, it sounded robotic and it made Nick feel sick to his stomach.

 

“Tell me about the current location of Steve Rogers?” The question confirms Nick’s suspicion of Phil not having any clue to what was going on. If the man knew anything about the whereabouts of Captain America he would have told Nick the second he found out.

 

“The current location of Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, is currently unknown. Though Team Zeta has narrowed down to a one mile radius in the Arctic Circle. Coordinates-”

 

“That will be all Agent Coulson. Stand down.” Phil snaps his mouth shut and presumes his earlier slouched over position.

 

“What was done to him?” The Director smiles, like the proudest damn man in the world, and Nick would have given anything to knock the bastard’s lights out.

 

“It’s hard sometimes keeping secrets in SHIELD, especially from the World Security Council. It became harder as technology advanced, and long story short, we found that we couldn’t trust our own secure networks.” The Director gestures towards the chair before him and Nick takes a seat. When he’s offered a glass of scotch he doesn’t say no. “An opportunity came about ten years ago, some new technology that would open up a person’s mind so their memory would increase to inhuman abilities. The tests are secure and every qualifying agent, including you, have taken them."

 

Nick hadn’t even realized he had been tested, and judging by Stoner’s smile that was how it was supposed to be.

 

“Agent Coulson and a few others were our top candidates for the procedure,” Stoner frowns a bit at that last statement. Nick had always known Phil was a lucky bastard, he’s thankful to have Phil hear at all now. “As you can guess Coulson was the only success. His memory was amazing, there really is no words to describe it. At one point in the tests he even rebuilt an exact replica model of the Helicarrier.”

 

“I’m guessing there was complications.” Nick looked over at Phil, and he remembered when the man was sent to Brazil for a deep undercover mission for eight months. Phil had come back with a bad sunburn, a fish, and now Nick knew a better brain as well. That had been when the migraines started.

 

“It was too much for Agent Coulson to handle. Some of the doctors said his mind couldn’t handle all the information we were giving him, and after he took out several agents while having a flashback we decided something should be done.” The man drummed his fingers on the table and Nick has the horrifying realization that most of the people brought on this project have been terminated. “Long story short, we put a sort of mental blocker on Agent Coulson’s mind. His full memory is only accessed after listing off a various set of codes.”

 

“So you’re saying he’s basically SHIELD’s personal flash drive.” Nick can feel his composure slipping away and it doesn’t help that Director Stoner actually laughs. Like Phil isn’t a human, like he really is just SHIELD’s human flash drive.

 

It’s with a heavy heart that Nick realizes he’s going to have to keep the same secret.

 

“Fuck…” Nick slumps over and puts his head in his hands.

 

“I can see that you understand that no one, including your army buddy, can know about this.”

 

*

 

Director Stoner is found dead two months later and Nick Fury finds himself as Director of SHIELD.

 

He’s given a piece of paper with various codes.

 

*

 

When Maria Hill becomes Assistant Director Nick decides very early that she was trusted enough to know about one of SHIELD’s best kept secrets.

 

She shoots him in the foot with her gun, and tells him that Phil Coulson deserves better.

 

Nick had always liked Maria Hill.

 

*

 

“Sir the Black Widow has a new target.” Maria slides the file towards Nick with a deep frown on her face.

 

“You do realize that even the Black Widow always gets her mark, even if I were to send my best there’s little hope of them returning.” Nick opens up the file and holds in the groan when he see’s the name of the target.  “Send Barton, Coulson, Sitwell and May. If anyone can bring take her down its them.”

 

Maria regards Nick with a complicated expression. “Sir do you really think that’s wise, sending in her target? Especially considering how special said target it?”

 

Neither of them will say his name. The Black Widow won’t see her target as their friend, she’ll see him as an open file to all of SHIELD’s secrets.

 

*

 

Natasha Romanoff is a very intimidating woman, even if she isn’t what Nick figured the Black Widow to be.

 

“I won’t tell anyone if that’s what you are worried about. Its’a cruel secret, but we both know that in the long run its one that needs to be kept.” Romanoff flings the needle she obtained from only god know’s where at the camera in the corner of the room. The camera isn’t on, both of them know that, but now they are going to have to replace it and Nick supposes Natasha finds some sort of childish satisfaction in that.

 

*

 

Phil gets himself kidnapped, its a suicide mission to rescue him, thats when May and Sitwell are in on the secret.

 

*

 

Barton finds out a month later when one of Phil’s mental blocks break down.

 

*

 

“We keep him mobile, and we have May watch him. His mental blocks are going to be weaker since we had to do…” Nick waves his hand and really thats enough information for everyone in the room. They all know what’s going on here, have been in on the secret for years now.

 

“He’ll probably leave SHIELD when he finds out.”

 

It’s always when with Phil Coulson, never if.


End file.
